What’s Inside the Cake Box?
Demand for occasion cakes dipped when social gatherings were off the cards, but weddings, birthday celebrations and other social gatherings are back. So is the desire for an eye-catching, edible centrepiece.
According to Mintel’s UK Cake Report, there are 4,500 small craft bakeries in the UK. Budding bakers and cake decorators are tempting buyers with stunning shots on social media and who can resist? Although most cake, bun and pastry purchases are made in supermarkets, artisan products are seeing the highest retail growth. We like something special and personalised.
Home Baking & Online Cake Orders
The lockdown saw a revival in home baking; we were rustling up more cupcakes, tray bakes and tasty treats to keep spirits up. Expect this interest in whisking, blending, folding and kneading to continue in the Autumn, as a new series of the Great British Bake Off has been announced!
One of the features of An Extra Slice (the accompanying series) is Home Bakes. It shows that creating an occasion cake that matches the vision is quite a challenge. If a show-stopping cake is required for your big event, it might be best to leave it to experienced cake makers!
Another noticeable change during lockdown was the surge in online requests for cakes. Recommendations for skilled, local bakers were made up and down the country, with buyers keen to support small, specialist makers.
Delivering Cake: Packaging Requirements
As a specialist cake maker, the challenge of fulfilling orders is not simply realising the customer’s vision. Cakes need to be baked to perfection and delightfully decorated, but they also need to be transported to the customer or event venue.
How do you transport occasion cakes and keep them looking spectacular?
The first point to make is that, as perishable goods, cakes and bakes are on UK couriers restricted items list. The Post Office restricted items list states that perishable products must be sent in strong cardboard boxes or polystyrene packaging. Cake boxes must be clearly labelled as ‘Perishable’ and have to be sent first class as the minimum service. Many couriers will not offer compensation for damage caused to perishable goods in transit.
How to Ensure Cake Boxes Remain Upright in Transit?
Whilst tray bakes might be reasonably easy to box and send, you may opt for specialist cake couriers or your own delivery team when it comes to highly decorated, layered cakes. They offer refrigerated storage and careful handling.
Your service might even include completing the final detailing when the cake is delivered. Even when delivering in person, secured, robust boxes are a must. Your hard work cannot be compromised.
Aylesbury Box Company have designed strong cardboard boxes specifically for cake deliveries. These include a secure, integrated handle that aids handling and reduces the chance of the box being placed the wrong way up or dropped.
We recommend that cardboard cake boxes are printed with clear messages that assist handling, as well as your company branding. Flexographic print is a low-cost way of personalising your boxes and our friendly team are happy to discuss all print and finish options.
Occasion cakes come in all shapes and sizes; usually 8” (for approx. 10 servings) up to 12” (for 25-30 servings). We can provide cardboard cake boxes to the dimensions required for your bakes. These can include inserts to provide support and minimise movement within the box.
We can also provide coordinating printed postal boxes for cupcakes and other goodies that might be ordered alongside the main point of focus. Branded boxes might also be used for supplying cake stands, cake slices, crockery and cake forks; let us know what your cake business needs.
Contact us on 01296 436888 or enquiries@abcbox.co.uk for advice and a quote.
What is the Nations’ Favourite Cake?
We all have our favourites, with lemon drizzle, carrot cake and Victoria sponge often taking the top spots in polls. 2020 research conducted by The Courier outlines our favourite cake preferences were based on online searches. It revealed that Chocolate Cake topped the poll, with over 90,000 monthly searches and 74,000 searches for chocolate cake recipes. What would get your vote?
